On the far side of the moon, a maintenance station suddenly goes out of control.
There are only six staff members aboard, yet the surveillance footage shows a seventh spacesuit moving through a sealed corridor.
Engineer Ji Heng, sent to help with the rescue, makes an unexpected discovery: the accident points to an ancient starport that has lain dormant deep beneath the moon.
Then a notice is broadcast throughout the Earth-Moon system:
Deadline for Solar System Registry Overhaul: 90 days.
If humanity fails certification, it will lose the right to operate the starport independently, and outside civilizations will be able to apply to take control.
During the accident, Ji Heng gains the special ability to read historical flight paths, but it comes at the cost of neurological damage.
From ordinary engineer to evolved being, from a single suit of maintenance armor to a fleet that ranges across the stars, he must find a way to survive an ever more brutal war.
Meanwhile, deep in the galaxy, a catastrophe known as the "Gray Tide" is devouring one interstellar route after another.
As countless civilizations are forced to migrate, powerful factions monopolize the safe passages.
At last, Ji Heng understands:
True strength does not mean claiming the entire sea of stars for yourself. It means having the power to forge new paths for civilization.
